Harris County Texas PTI program ..The dirt from the inside..

Continuing insanity

2017-05-09T09:02:00.002-07:00

Hi All,

For some reason I can find the new posts or questions that people are asking, so if there is something you are confused about please ask it here.
I know the program has changed and is probably even more irrational then when I was in it, but hang in there...it doesn't last forever and you will honestly forget about the fucked up system once you are finished. Please do not hesitate to ask any question you might have, if I do not know the answer I will find out.

Cheers x

Pre-Trial Diversion for Misdemeanor other than DUI

2014-12-14T07:40:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

Wow its been a long time since I have posted anything new....yes this is a good thing. It means I'm keeping out of trouble ;)
So I've been getting more and more questions and comments on this new "divert" program which is now called Pre-Trial Diversion. From what I know and its not allot, it seems that if you have any arrest for theft or possession you can be put on this program. I believe this is a fairly new deal so there is not much I can say about it. BUT I will research and ask around so that I get the details everyone is looking for to ease the pain. If you are on this program and know ANYTHING please post it here as a guest blog post and I will put it up. You have no idea how much you will be helping everyone else and I promise you it will make your life feel more complete. So let me just say that you are not alone in all this political drama bullshit, and I will find out what the deal is with all this "new" Harris County paperwork ;-)

Cheers x

Occupational License info if needed.....

2012-09-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

If for some reason, hopefully this doesn't happen, you lose your license....you may be eligible for an occupational license. Here is the low down on how to get it.

In Texas.

Texas law defines an occupation license as necessary to meet any essential need to drive for work, school, household duties including carpool, groceries, banking and cleaners, as examples. Chris Hoover can help you obtain your occupational license.

Does Texas DWI End Your Driving?

All Texans are eligible to request and obtain an Occupational License for driving. The law defines this drivers license as necessary to meet any essential need you have to drive for work, school and household duties, including carpool, groceries, bank and cleaners, as examples. You may request no more than two Occupational Licenses within ten (10) years.

Where and Why Can You Drive?

The Occupational License allows you to drive not less than four nor more than 12 hours per day to meet any essential need. The hours do not have to be continuous, such as 6 am – 6 pm. You can break up any 24 period to meet your need to drive carpool, get to work, visit clients in the afternoon or go to the grocery store and drive home. Most counties will allow you to drive for the full 12 hours although the procedure for getting an Occupational License varies from county to county.

Texas Occupational Drivers License Costs

The State will require you to pay fees for this license. The average filing fee for this license is $250. There is also a $135 fee assessed by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Additionally, you will be required to file an SR-22 insurance policy with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Take a taxi....its cheaper...

2012-08-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

OK so the stats for the first half of the year are out and basically during the day the arresting officers are eating donuts and as soon a HH comes around they hike up their belts and move to the corner of Washington ready for the unsuspecting over worked first time offenders....here's the scoop..

Harris County DWI arrests:
2008: 1,555
2009: 1,633
2010: 2,179
2011: 2,211
2012: 1,367 through June, on pace for 2,734 for the year

Wow, that's impressive even to me....someone who's not normally impressed by numbers. So when in doubt take a taxi, it will save you a year of DIVERT annoyance and lots of $$ :)

Interlock...Lawyers, and all that fun stuff..

2012-07-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking about DIVERT or are on DIVERT, get a lawyer that knows what is going on....trust me. This will save you alot of time and guessing "What is going to happen next?" OR tell your lawyer to read my blog ;-)

If you are interested in what interlock to get and what one not to get....ask me!!! My interlock was a NIGHTMARE!!! The one I used was INTOXALOCK....awful!. Not only did I have to order the stupid thing and wait a week while the alarm went off constantly, it was installed by CAR TOYS so I had to wait forever for them to receive it etc. NO BUENO!!

I've seen some really easy to use and small ones out there, also low cost etc. SO ASK!! I want to help anyone on this program to get through as easy and pain free as possible. ;-)

Also, concerning your license....revoke or not, get a good lawyer that knows what's going on. I did not lose my license and I definitely attribute that to my attorney. Best 1,000 $ I've ever spent ;-)

Cheers :) x

If you didnt know, here you go....

2012-06-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Basic breakdown of DIVERT:

Follow Harris County and Texas state laws. If you are offered a chance to participate in the Harris County DIVERT program, then you will lose your eligibility if you are convicted of any new Harris County criminal offenses. You will aslo lose your eligibility to a trial by jury due to plea of guilty.
Report monthly to a Harris County Probation Officer and pay a $60 monthly fee to the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (HCCSCD).
Pay a $160 monthly fee to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
Have an Ignition Interlock Device installed in my automobile within 7 days of signing the Harris County Pretrial DIVERT agreement and pay a $79 monthly fee for the Ignition Interlock Device.
Submit to monthly drug testing at a HCCSCD Houston Location.
Abstain from drinking alcohol and participate in a 12 Step Recovery Program. (I didnt have to do this, but most people are required)
Abstain from going to Houston Bars and Clubs and submit to a mandatory curfew. (I didnt have a curfew that I was aware of)
Stay in the state of Texas for the length of the DIVERT program or request permission from the court to leave the state or country.
Perform 16 hours of community service in the Greater Houston Area.
Attend a DIVERT Orientation Class and get a DWI Offender ID card. The class will cost you $60 in enrollment fees.
Wear a Harris County SCRAM Electronic Monitoring Bracelet. (No bracelet required, depends on your SALC level)
Allow the Harris County Probation Officer to interview your home and place of employment at their request.

DIVERT dismissal confusion....

2012-06-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Again, I feel as confused as anyone else about the DIVERT program, since looking up or googling DIVERT gives a hundred different perspectives...mostly coming from attorney's who "know the law" and that is completely laughable. The issue is this....and I have stolen this from an attorney's blog:
"Basically, if you are a first-offender DWI defendant you may qualify for the DIVERT program. You plead guilty, but if you follow the program's requirements for a specified period and pay fees and costs, your guilty plea is erased and your case is totally dismissed. If you are a first-offender DWI defendant not on the DIVERT program, you will be prosecuted pursuant to the Texas Penal Code. Non-DIVERT first offender defendants everywhere else in Texas are eligible for deferred adjudication community supervision (a fancy way of saying probation.) If those other defendant's live out their deferred-adjudications successfully, their plea of guilty is still a part of the record but the court does not actually make a finding of guilt and their probationary period is satisfactorily terminated."
COMPLETELY FALSE.......from what I was told from my DIVERT officer and the DA's office, your plead of guilty or DWI arrest is visible to officers of the law. IF/when you get an expungement, then it will be taken off your record for those visible public record.....unfortunately there is a clause that states the DA's office will retain ALL of your information, arrest, guilty plea, etc. on file. Hmmm....color me stupid, but doesn't that completely contradict the entire concept of expungement? Someone please tell me I'm wrong. I've gone over this so many times in the past year, and I am still trying to figure out why someone hasn't confronted the DAs office. I guess I will have to wait my two years to find out if this is actually truth. Unfortunately by then they will most likely have changed the ruling and the guilty plea will stick...who knows, with this system anything is possible.

No judge no handshake, just done.

2012-06-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

In my first initial court appearance I was able to witness a man complete his DIVERT program. He went in front of the judge and got a firm handshake with a polite, "Congratulations, you did it." and he was on his way. I looked forward to getting that handshake and congrats mostly because when I was finally dismissed and free to go I wanted to tell the judge what I thought of the program. Now, this could be GODs way of keeping me from contempt of court and out of jail, but I am still a bit disappointed. On Friday, May 25th my court date was held without me or my lawyer. The papers were signed and filed with the court clerk. The courts are so overloaded with criminal cases that they would rather not having you in there taking up space just to sign a dismissal paper. Hmmm....ok, but it was fine to have me sit in court for 2 months while the HPD lab "tested" my blood sample and still didn't have a conviction. Sure, that's legal and fair. I'm no more happy with the Harris County Judicial system today than I was a year ago. Its still bullshit politics and completely against every right to a fair trial each one of us is entitled to have. Ok I've complained enough.
So for those of you who are excited about the end and the congrats, sorry to disappoint you but it probably wont happen.

On another note, I noticed that I have not itemized the actual cost of the program and probation period. I will make sure to find all of my documents and post each cost accordingly to give those of you an idea of what might be coming in the future. Luckily, my brother was my attorney so I did not have to endure that cost. I did hire an outside attorney to handle my case for my license revocation. My very lucky self did not get my license revoked due to a mishandling of documents...whew....but that was one of the hefty costs that I did have to pay out of pocket. My next post will give details.

Comment with any questions, nothing is too small or seemingly idiotic...seriously, I've dealt with the county, nothing is more asinine ;-)

May 25, 2011 - May 25, 2012 may my DIVERT rest in peace....

2012-05-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

Today I am officially off the DIVERT program, GOD rest its soul. While I am euphoric about the year that has gone by and the frustrating moments that I have had on this program. I am angry at the possibility of never having justice on this sensitive issue that plagues the Harris county court system. When I started DIVERT I wanted to know everything that would happen to me, unfortunately there is not alot out there. I found a couple of blogs but it seemed that the person typing away in the beginning only held on for a couple of months then faded away.....hence the reason for my blog. Last year I didn't have any views on this blog, it was a ghost town....crickets.....you get it. But I continued to write on everything and anything I experienced, from the assholes at the id distribution (probation office), to the DA making my life miserable for taking a trip with my family. I had so many tearful moment of "I cant do this!!"....now being finished I think I will continue to pursue the illegal aspects of this program...the unconstitutional side of this twisted brain child of the DA office. Someone has to say something, because when you are in the position of having your life in the hands of a person who knows nothing about you and wants to label a first time offender as a criminal/alcoholic, your scared shit less and do not want to say anything at all.....my fears were justified during my orientation. The jail time incurred at my time of arrest was a sufficient "holy f!!" it made me never want to drink and drive ever again. The rest of the program just pissed me off.....if my employer actually ever found out there would be a job loss or other consequences....etc. I will stop ranting for now and just say I am glad its over....but I am not silent just because I am finished with DIVERT. I think people should be aware of what this program really is and how their rights are being stifled.

Good luck to those who have started the program and please email me or comment with questions you might have, also let me know if something new comes up that I have not experienced. I will post it for others.

Cheers ;-)

Loop hole for Dismissal......(important)

2012-05-17T08:35:00.001-07:00

I found out last week at my PO's office that there is a small loophole in the whole dismissal process for DIVERT. Back story: The whole reason most of us get on the DIVERT program is to have this offense taken off of our record. This way if we ever try to get a job etc. a criminal record will be unable to detect. When your lawyer tells you about DIVERT they usually say that when you are finished with the year long torture you will go to court and it will be dismissed.....WRONG.....My PO informed me that you MUST remain arrest free for two years before dismissal will occur. I honestly don't think the majority of us will be going to jail or arrested anytime soon, but you never know what can happen. So, in the interim I am giving those of you a heads up so you will not be shocked when you realize that it will not be off your record. OH and another, fuck you from the DA.....this offense will not be visible by the public, but it will be visible to officers of the law. Which means that if you are pulled over for any traffic offense after expungement they are able to see that you previously had a DWI....which most likely means they will hassle you more than the average citizen traffic stop. BE CAREFUL and BE AWARE.

Conclusion: After the year of divert, you will go two years before you have to go back to court and have the charges dismissed. Please have your attorney advise you of the process etc so that you can A. save up money to go back to court...and B. have all your ducks in a row for another two years.

I will be taking cabs for the rest of my life ;-)

Cheers xoxo

356.....9 to go ;-)

2012-05-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

I have been on this program for 356 days.....I will say this that if you can get through the 6 months of interlock and the system scaring the shit out of you, you are golden. There are moments when its is absolutely too much to handle, but if you think...its only a year...you will be better off. Luckily, I had someone telling me to think positive 98% of the time (which pissed me off in the beginning)....but it does work. The Harris county DA and the court system will try their hardest to make you believe that you are less than human....you are not, never let that deter you from getting through this awful asinine program. I may sound harsh....but I still believe that it is unfair to put a first time offender on a recovery program that does not allow deferred adjudication. The county and courts need to get their shit straight and not continue to try and gouge the people who work, pay taxes, and are law abiding other than this first time offense. I would love to tell the judge exactly how I feel and how the program is unjust....but unfortunately I would most likely go to jail for contempt or have another year set on my record. No thanks!!!! For those who are just getting on the program, please read the beginning posts and it should help you be aware of what is going to happen and possibly help with keeping your license etc. Good luck and stay positive!! :)

No Poppin' bottles???......

2012-05-04T07:26:00.001-07:00

This morning was my last PO appointment. Other than the major traffic accident, and rubber neckers trying to deter me from being on time, all went fairly smooth. I checked in as usual with the nice gentleman at the front desk, and waited my usual 15 -20 minutes for my PO to call me in, she's always late so at this point I'm used to it. She was actually chipper this morning, asking me how I was doing..., "Have you used any drugs or alcohol since our last meeting? Have you had any law violations or been incarcerated?" ....yup that's the light airy conversation we have every month. My stock answer..."No."
She then proceeded to tell me that she would be submitting her final report today for my dismissal on May 25th letting the court know that I lived up to my obligations of the DIVERT program and probation. Her last comment was, "Everything about the program stays the same until the 25th, so don't go out and celebrate early." Darn, so I guess that bottle of champagne I had chilling in the car is going to have to wait...:S
I don't think I look stupid, but perhaps my ego is just a bit naive.
After our short conversation, she said good luck and stay well. No hugs, kisses?:(
I proceeded out to the waiting area for my last UA (urine analysis). Thinking I forgot my id I frantically poured all the contents of my purse onto the seat next to me and check it all four times until I finally found my drivers license.....knowing the rest of the probationers were looking at me thinking "poor crackhead." I didn't care....in 10 more minutes I would be gone from this nightmare of a place forever.
Long story short, pee in cup and I was out of there.....happy :)
I've looked forward to many days in my life but May 25th 2012 is going to go down in my book as one of the best.....more ways than one. :)

Yeay, done!!!!

It's the final countdown.......

2012-04-30T08:33:00.001-07:00

Yes, finally, its the last 4 weeks to be chained to this program. The interesting thing is the reason I started this blog was not only to get myself through the program, but to let others know what was happening so when that "Oh shit!!!" moment came along they didn't feel like they were alone.....because trust me, when that moment comes...you can hear crickets chirping...... Scary and lonly feeling.

The lawyers, DA, Probation officers, etc. are all out for themselves and money....period. Its all about them making a step up, and looking better for the next position of authority they might get in the future. When you start this program, you are a piece of paper that hands over money and gets harassed at least twice a month from the county. As long as you keep your head on straight you will survive...but if you start to lose it, and trust me I lost it once or twice, it can mean either spending time in jail or your looking at a long drawn out 3 year probation with alot more money to spent on fees etc.....yuk.
So...4 weeks to go...my last PO appointment is Friday and I'm thinking I might even curl my hair for her and put on a nice dress....Yes, I'm feeling that "romantic" about this situation. The closest analogy I can make to this is, the really hot high school quarter back just asked you to prom and its 4 weeks until absolute heaven............ Ok, that's probably not the right analogy but for those of you who know me its pretty much dead on ;-)

Getting my hopes up and boasting about this is really not my style, I am very good friends with Karma, and she sometimes double books me on important events such as this. So, lets just say we'll hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

I will of course post after my meeting with my PO....something juicy has to come out of that, she never seems to dissapoint for entertainment value.......
and also after my final slap on the hand from the judge and his handshake of "congrats, you did it. I dont want to see you in my courtroom again..." ~aaaahhh the joys of life :)

Until then, cross your fingers.....

~xoxo

Too early to celebrate...???

2012-04-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to celebrate early because I believe in karma and have a bit of obsessive compulsive "this might go wrong" phobia. BUT it is sooo damn close. I literally have a month left, and one PO appointment left to actually attend until I face the judge. I am super excited to get rid of this monkey....sorry monkey. The interesting thing about the "program" is that when you are paid in full and about 4 months away they pretty much leave you alone. As long as you fly under the radar and don't get arrested etc then you can relax. Although being too lax in this type of situation can be dangerous...see there's that OCD again. Anyway, my last PO appointment was cake, she didn't really even ask me for my pay stub....she mentioned that it was fine for her to use the one from last month. So I guess I've been a good probationer. :)
The one little annoying thing for me the past several months has been the bail bond office....back story...when using a bail bond office you have to check in every week...so I have been calling them for an entire year every week. Ridiculous. Well, I got a bit lazy with calling in due to work being busy, and life in general...I know, who am I to think I should actually live my life, crazy, right.? So I forgot to call a couple of times and they tracked me down telling me how important it is to call in and make sure to check in. SERIOUSLY?? I have been calling for a year, I am almost done, do they really think I'm going to ditch?? People are so stupid!!! So anyway, keeping calm and patient...I'm still calling to check in...visit my PO in May, make sure I stay out of trouble...no bank robbing this month. Celebration on its way ;-)

big cheers :)

......anticipating the end....

2012-02-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

Almost a year in to the life changing experience, and I have 2-1/2 months to go until the judge dismisses my charges :) Big YEAY!!! I have had a pretty relaxing couple of months as far as probation is concerned. I was called in after New Years for a drug test....big surprise. Annoyed yet understanding, I went down there at 7:30 am, waited patiently (chuckle) and was free to go. Luckily I have been on mail in PO meetings so I havent had to actually go in every month, but with the drug test in January it was basically the same deal. This week I have to attend a mtg with my PO...I believe this is the last time. Since I only have less than 2 months to go, and I mail in every other month, I dont see the point of having to actually see her in May.....but since the system is so completely F`~up....my guess is as good as anyone else's.

Its a bit shocking to know that its almost over. I feel like I was just getting this started and its been a year....I actually complained for an entire year......that's a record in my book. This is possibly why I dont have as many friends as I did last year....or the fact that the drinking is non-existant....probably both. Oh well, not really too sad about that. ;-)

The interesting thing about this entire ordeal is the way I approach people about drinking and driving now....I never thought it was a big issue or any issue at all before....but now I am a drunk drivers worst nightmare.....when I start the story they are pretty much sober by the time I'm finished. I am obviously not perfect and don't pretend to be, but if this can prevent anyone from going through this shit I will be delighted to scare the hell out of them anyday....just here to help :)

Anyway, its almost done....a couple more months and I will be completely free from the Harris County judicial system......I think I'll celebrate with a Latte :)

<3

6 down....6 to go ;-)

2011-12-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

I have made it half way through my DIVERT program. I am ecstatic to say that I am FINALLY free of my interlock. The most elated feeling came over me when I started my car for the first time, having that little bit of freedom back was the most incredible feeling I have had in a long time. I never realized how much stress that little thing was bringing into my life. What a relief it is to have made it this far without completely loosing my mind, it has actually given me the gift of appreciating everything I have and I look forward to being completely finished with this entire thing and putting it past me. I have also found a new sense of responsibility to do the right thing and be extremely aware of how my actions affect myself, my family, and those around me that care about my well being. Its difficult to see someone you love and care about going through rough situations, I am so grateful to have the people who have supported me and have been encouraging through this entire ordeal. You will never know how much it has helped me and kept me sane. Thank you and I love you for that.....only 6 months to go :) YEAY!!

I am going for a drive in my car.....in silence :)

xoxo

So close I can hear the silence......

2011-11-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

It's almost 3 weeks until my interlock is tentatively taken out of my car. I can almost hear the silence of driving and not having to be a victim of that horrible noise any longer. Aaaahhh the simple pleasures in life that we take for granted....driving without interruption..such joy. I have one more recalibration to do that will take place next week, I think after 5-1/2 months of this thing I have finally timed it correctly so I will not have to hear the alarm shrilling twice every time I start and stop my engine....uhhhgg. So, my plan is (because you cant get it done too soon according to the "rules") I will wait until the 10th, last time it started freaking out on the 16th.....so if I schedule the recalibration on the 10th it takes roughly 3 days for them to process and ship the nightmare.....so that should time it perfectly so I wont have to pull any hair out this month. Hopefully my plan will work.....I feel sad for myself that I have to put this much mental effort into something so asinine....its annoying, I could be curing cancer or something, but no...my entire day/week has gone in to how to not be tortured by this F~ing device.
Anyway, that being said, this will be the last of that torment. December 2nd the court (let's all pray) will give me the go ahead to get it removed. I will then most likely go on to mail in monthly probation and only have to physically show up to my P.O. every three months......then the entire nightmare is over in May. Yeay!!
I still have to get my travel permits whenever I want to leave the state or the country. I don't think I will be doing much International travel since that requires a hair follicle test and they are a little too expensive for my pocket....and honestly I just do not feel like giving another dime to the state or county if I absolutely do not have to. I've made it to the home stretch and I was so determind in the beginning that I was doomed to live a life of misery and this thing would last forever...and for those of you who know me, this type of mental state should not surprise you....but yippee I made it without downing 15 zanax a day. :)
So for now, all is quiet...exactly how I want it. Silence :)

Slow and steady wins the race.....

2011-10-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

As of today I have been on Divert for four months.....Four loonnngg months. I have eight months to go, but only two more months with my interlock and monthly probation appointments that I have to actually go in to the office....after December I can do mail in probation, then meet with my P.O. every other month. The most exciting part of the next two months will be the anticipation of the removal of the interlock. Not only will I have the freedom to start my car without the major annoyance of that alarm, but I will gain $85.00 that I have to pay for the lease of this medieval torture device. With everything paid and all classes done, community service finished I am just basically flying under the radar and waiting out the rest of this program to finally be finished with this whole thing. I am lucky to have had the ability to pay my balance and be done with it, some people have to pay the minimum monthly which is just another thing to have to deal with every month. So December 2nd is the date that my lease is up....yeay!!!! Finally, now I don't get so annoyed when someone says "It will be over soon." because this is actually true :)

With that being said, I will continue to live as clean as possible, there's really no point in testing karma's ability to screw up my life when I have achieved this level of sanity. I will never forget the last four months, this will go down as a don't do file in my brain.

I still have to get travel permits when I want to leave the state or country which is kind of a pain in the ass, but so far they have allowed me to travel. Luckily I am not getting stuck with another hair follicle test, that thing is just a waste of money.
As of now, I have no complaints other than my annoying interlock, but I guess it could be worse ;-)
<Silver lining>

A glimmer of light at the end of a VERY long tunnel.....

2011-09-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I finished my last 4 hours of community service at the Spay and Neuter clinic. I will definitely miss the people that I "worked" with there, but I will not miss the half drugged dogs coming out of surgery yelping, and banging their heads against the side of the kennel like a crazy person in a padded room. I honestly do not know how someone can actually work in that place, its not only depressing it's noisy and most the people who are employees there suck....seriously they don't really seem to like the animals very much (usually handling them by pulling on their limbs).
My favorite employee Ms. Mona gave me a very pleasant good bye, she told me that she wished me the best and would pray that all I do in the future would prosper then she gave me a nice warm hug...love those....I'm very happy to have her on my side.(thanks karma)

My next appointment with my P.O. is Wednesday at 7:30am. I finally got my duplicate license, since my original was destroyed by the county when I was arrested, I was so excited to finally have it in my hand :)
I have to pay a balance of $54.00 and that's it. Everything should be up to date. The only thing I have not heard about is my hair follicle results which makes me a bit nervous....but since I worry about the smallest thing this shouldn't surprise anyone.

My interlock is annoying the shit out of me, yes still. The recalibrating alarm is enough to make me go insane, so during this time I do not drive unless absolutely necessary. I would rather ride my bike to work (if i could) rather than deal with that annoying sound every time I get in my car......that will be over in December (tentative).

So there's really nothing new and exciting to report......as long as the hair follicle comes back clean I should be doing mail in monthly probation check ins by December.
Cross your fingers. xo

:)

Slow and steady wins the race....

2011-09-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

It's been 4 months since I started my DIVERT program. I have 3 more months with my interlock on my car and 8 more months on the actual program until my charges are dismissed. I actually didn't think I would make it this far when I began the program. The interlock itself made me crazy, I just couldn't figure out how I was going to live with that in my car for an entire half of a year, but I've been lucky so far. I kept my license, which is something that I was very worried about. I only have 4 hours of community service left that I will do this weekend. The only thing weighing on my mind is my hair follicle test, I have not heard anything at this point. The worst thing that could happen is I would be kicked out of the program or have a scram device put on my ankle which would be pretty bad. I'm thinking positive but its definitely something I keep waiting to hear about. This week I'm going to get my drivers licence back, the county destroys the actual license when they take it from you so I have to go get a brand new one, which means a better picture :)
Through this entire experience I have learned several things,
1. Do NOT drink and drive. After hearing some other stories and going through the class, you can get a DWI by having ONE drink. And several thousand dollars later you will regret getting in your car after that ONE.
2. The state and district attorney are out for one thing MONEY, this program is supposed to be designed to rehabilitate people who are alcoholics.....it doesn't even come close to rehabilitation. How can you rehabilitate with zero tolerance? Everyone knows that addicts relapse....rehab is a process not a fix. All the surcharges, add-ons, payments to the city/county for each and every thing that we have to do is the reason that most people are on DIVERT or have been arrested for a DWI. I am not saying that some cases are not legitimate, but most are not. Clean records and first time offenders are inundating this program when it should actually be for second and third time offenders who have a problem with alcohol. The DA has hair follicle tests for people on a DWI program??? Why? There are no drug offenses on record, so why make someone pay 250.00 for a test that will come back negative? Because the county gets a kick back. I have spoken to more people about this and everyone agrees. It's all about the money. The longer the probation period the more money gets handed over to the county.
3. NEVER believe that your probation officer or anyone else who works for the county is your friend. NEVER. I have witnessed people telling their PO personal details and things that are not relevant to their case and the PO used it against their client. When you are in the counties possession, you are not human. They treat you as though you are not a person, you have committed a crime and should not only pay but be dehumanized as well.

I will let the judge know how I feel after he has signed off on my paper work and put his red stamp on my record saying DISMISSED. Someone should stand up for the people who are treated unfairly, I guess I will be the first.

Some days on DIVERT there really is a silver lining.....

2011-08-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today was another day at the Spay and Neuter clinic...this day I decided I would only do 4 hours, since the last 8 almost killed me. I woke this morning, went to my mother's house, had a pleasant cup of morning coffee and made my way over to the clinic. I arrived at 8:30 (we are supposed to only sign in at 9am), the gentleman at the front (Dennis) greeted me and signed me in promptly at 8:30am.....this is turning out to be a pretty decent morning. I walked to the back where the surgical area is and met my other community service friends, and started my morning working on my chores. Ms. Mona, the most pleasant of the vet techs, asked me to help her in the cleaning area...I of course was extremely happy about this because its the best out of the way and busiest of the areas to work in. My duty was to clean the surgical instruments, while this is a bloody job and a bit nauseating, I have found out that I definitely do not want to work anywhere near blood, or body parts that are being cut open, or around anything that might be part of a body that has blood or any insides of anything that resembles blood or flesh. Anyway, the morning flew by and before I knew it I was out of there....only 4 more hours to go next time...yeay!!
After I got home there was a letter in my mailbox from my attorney....the dreaded hearing to see if my license was going to be suspended was last week. I opened the letter and to my shocking surprise my license was NOT suspended....I can now go down to the DPS next week and get my license back...YEAY ME!!!! Thank you karma, I love you.
SO the only thing weighing on my little brain is my hair follicle results...I'm hoping that poppy seed muffin I ate a couple of months ago doesn't come back to haunt me :S

p.s. The attached photo is of a note I found while unwrapping syringes at the clinic today...I spilled the bowl of needles and this fell out....hilarious and I am sure it is something that has gone through the mind of each and every community service probationer at one time....I love that I find these little humorous tid bits...really does make my day :)

Cheers :)

Slice and snip....

2011-08-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

My first bout with community service began this weekend and 7:30am on Saturday. Usually a day for hard working people to relax or spend time with family, I had the luxury of waking up early and spending the afternoon at the local Spay n' Neuter clinic to endure 8 hours of my 16 required community service. Yeay. The day goes as follows:
I arrive at the S&N clinic at 7:30am, I notice a line outside of the clinic and realized that there are a lot of people who have appointments this blistering morning. Walking into the clinic lots of barking dogs and very frightened cats, I was unusually excited about my afternoon watching and learning the ways around a vet clinic. I love animals, as well as, science so this seemed to be the perfect fit. I patiently waited as the animals went first in line and when most of the people were seated filling out paper work I approached the desk and quietly said "Hello, I'm here to do my community service." The response by the blue haired (literally) nose/eyebrow/lip pierced girl was, "You have to come back at 9, we don't allow any of you to come in until 9." Again, as I have stated in previous posts, the gentlemen I spoke to last week informed me that I should be there early.....never anything about 9am. Just another fuck you from the DIVERT program I assume.....anyway, said gentleman happen to be at the desk and let me know that he would sign me in at 7:30am since I was already there. YEAY!!! So, at this point I'm thinking this is going to turn out to be a pretty good day.....WRONG!
After signing in, we are brought to the back where the "employees" are stashed, shown the basic areas of the clinic that we will be working in and meet some of the staff that are going to push us around for the day. The first person we met today was....ok I don't remember her name but she was really sweet...I will call her Ms. M, the second person was Mario..he is another probationer but he's a long timer...he has over 500 hours left to work. NIGHTMARE!!! I would go out of my mind just thinking about doing that many community service hours.....anyway, Mario was very helpful, he gave us the low down on the clinic. First Mario pointed out the various security cameras that evil Kym watches to make sure no one is just standing around. Another person we were warned about was the fat lady in bright pink. I don't remember her name either but she was a serious bitch. This is the type of person who lives to make others miserable, I don't know what goes on when she leaves her workplace, I have no clue what tortured childhood she had, but it must be something awful because she is a mean bitch.
Mario told us to unfold newspapers, these are used to line the bottom of the cages when the dogs and cats are in and out of surgery....we did this for about 3 hours....3 long hours. Then we were asked to take the syringes out of the package, tighten the tip and then return them to the box....we did this for about 2-1/2 hours. We learned very quickly that slow is key....unfortunately I do not work on slow...just not the way I operate, so it was a very frustrating afternoon. If you did not have something to do, try to look like you are busy.....or as Ms. M says "Sargent Pepper is coming and she is on a rampage" (this btw is Fat bright pink lady) not comforting at all, especially on your first day. So let me just explain my day:
Start of day, clean windows in front of clinic, unfold newspapers while dogs bark incessantly...realize large dog in cage has diarrhea and the smell is gagging me something unbelievable....clean each bathroom, including toilet, sink, and floor. By this time the Indian girl who reminds me of the chic on the Office shows up, she's been here before and knows the flow, she has her spot in the laundry area and washing the instruments....she doesn't let anyone do her job, and she yells at the barking dogs...lets call her Shari (I just like the name). Mid morning, remove syringes from box, return to box....stench of dog poop still pungent in the air....clean each bathroom again in order to remove myself from stench, dogs still barking. Noon, sweep floors, unfold newspapers, clean bathrooms......keeping busy...notice fat bright pink lady starting to stare. 1:00pm, Ms. M tells me to clean the instruments used for the spay and neuter, with no gloves...I almost vomit. 1:10pm, clean bathroom in order to escape stare of fat bright pink lady. 1:30pm, decide I'm starving and run (literally) next door to Starbucks and grab a sandwich and water, stuff half of sandwich in mouth and return to surgery area.
anything to not clean baseboards so I made friends with her and Ms. M. Good call on my part because they eased up and let me fold....whew. By 3:00pm, there was basically nothing to do, I swept again and cleaned all the bathrooms.....you could have eaten off the toilet I cleaned it so many damn times. I started to notice a theme throughout the day, the men/boys who were in there were not disturbed by fatty....she never gave them hard chores....they were mostly in charge of removing newspaper from the kennels or cleaning the doors on the cages. While I was finishing up I noticed fatty and one of the "boys" in the surgery area and she had him cleaning the tables, he said to her, "Oh do you need me to clean the baseboards as well?" and she said, "No that's ok, we have a girl here to do it." Son of a.........luckily Ms. M gave me a masking tape project to work on so I just kept my eyes forward. What a freaking day....at 3:25pm I grabbed my things and stood in the bathroom for 5 minutes just so I didn't have to do another disgusting chore for fatty.....this program has yet to have a dull moment.
Community Service: 8 hours done
8 hours to go.
I think next weekend I am just going to do 4, I'm afraid of what might happen if I attempt another 8....could possible scalpel someone over who gets to fold the next set of towels.

Almost over......4 more moths.......

Something borrowed......OR cut...

2011-08-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

The dreaded hair follicle test commenced yesterday at 4:30 pm on a blistery hot afternoon in Houston...wait sorry I forgot, I had to drive to Pasadena, Tx to attend the epic event. The day started off as usual, nothing major occurring. I left my place of employment at 4:00pm hoping to get to the testing facility at 4:30 in order to attend to all the other important things in my life that are piling up at the moment....digressing as usual....so the drive took about 40-45 minutes. As I pull up to the front of the building I notice that the door hours say 7-5pm. I remember vaguely (this is a lie, because I never forget anything) the woman telling me that they do not close until 5:30 pm. LIAR!! So I walk in and as nice as possible tell the young woman at the desk why I am there. She then says to me "Ok, we will need $215.00 and we only take cash today." My response was "Of course you do." ......so after a couple of curse words and trying to figure out which direction to go in and how fast I can possibly make it back I venture out to get cash. Right away a man in the testing center says to me, "You look happy to be here." I think GOD was testing me to see if I would actually punch someone and risk getting arrest. I didn't.
So off to the ATM/bank to get my money.....the first ATM decided it did not like my amount so it just kept saying TRANSACTION CANCELLED. I finally found a credit union in BFE to actually work and give me the $215.00 i needed to basically flush down the toilet for my test.
Returning to the testing facility I signed in, paperwork in hand and was sent down the hall to see Linda (very southern, very sweet).
The first words out of Linda's mouth were "How do you wear your hair?" Now, this is a unnerving question when someone is wielding scissors and they are not your hair stylist, she stated that she asks this question so she knows were to cut..."so the hair wont look so strange when the hair grows out"....."sometimes it tends to stand out and look funny"....thanks for the tip Linda, guess I should find some nice hats......after three somewhat large cuts to the right side, back, and left side of my head I was free to go.
On my drive home through the worst 5pm traffic in Houston I slid my hand up the back of my head and could feel the 1/2 inch long hair poking out of my scalp.....each side felt the same. I quietly drove home and did the calculation in my head....each drink I had that night cost $1,265.00...not including tip.
8 hours of community service starts Saturday at 7:30am sharp at the spay and neuter clinic.....cant wait to see what exciting tid bits this brings.....should be good.
Cheers ! :)

Smarter than ever and even more annoying....

2011-08-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my DIVERT class. For 9 hours I listened to someone talk about the effects of alcohol and drugs on driving skills, as well as how they both affect your mind and body long term. Let me just say one thing before I start this post...I am 38 years old, I've done my fair share of dabbling in controlled substances and late nights out...so honestly there is really nothing in this class that I didn't know nor have I not heard of before.....but I could not make up some of the things I heard yesterday, the people in this class were classic. I will post some of their stories below after I ramble about the nonsense of the actual curriculum.
First, We went over the traffic fatalities in Harris county, Texas due to drunk driving, I held in my facts and statistics on why this is most likely a large number, possibly because Harris county does not have any public transportation compared to most and is much larger than in other states. Etc etc. It was extremely hard for me not to argue, but I decided it is in my best interest at this point in the program to shut up and listen....wow maybe I am growing up :)
Anyway, she babbled on about the cost of a DWI, how fast alcohol gets into the blood stream and why and how to possibly slow this process (this came in handy for future reference). How alcohol is eliminated from the body....etc etc. Mostly things you know, but the DWI laws caught my attention and this program is crap...it is one of those things that the DA has conjured up to make themselves look good but the number (statistics) don't add up to a "recovery" program...it took me 2 hours of the class to figure these numbers and making this decision. So that was the jist of the afternoon....the facilitator made people participate then asked us how we were arrested and what was the scenario....this is where the good stuff comes in....of course I had pen in hand writing all of this down word for word to use in my blog :)

Participant #1
"I got pulled over because I was speeding...I had just bought a new pick-up truck and decided to test out the Hemi on it....I was going 85 in a 30mph zone and I had a open bottle of Chardonnay in the passenger seat"
(A cowboy in a big ass pick up with a bottle of Chardonnay??? hmmmm)

Participant #2
"A friend of mine just came back from Iraq and we were partying, he jumped from my third floor balcony...we think its because he was on yellow fever meds or it could have been the laced joint we smoked...we aren't sure. So I didn't make the cut to go in the ambulance so I drove to the hospital, I made a wrong turn and wound up in the postal office parking lot. A postal security dude pulled me over and called the cops....I complied and they didn't believe my story so they took me to jail."
(I didn't even know there were postal police....that's just bad luck)

Participant #3
"I was on a blind date, I don't remember anything...I blacked out...the date was really bad....I just remember being in the cop car and my date looking at me from outside the car window. I woke up in jail. I will never go on an Internet date again."
(no need for comment....classic"

Participant #4
"I was going 35 mph on the freeway."
(wow)

Participant #5
"I had 2 martini's at the club and went to my friends house, she wasn't home so I just let myself in. I bent down to pet her dog and the damn thing bit me in the face. So I drove myself to the hospital and I side swiped another car, they called the police and I'm bleeding everywhere from the damn dog bite. The cops dumped me at Ben Taub hospital, I hate that place so I took a cab to St. Lukes, they stitched me up and 3 hours later the cops came and threw me in jail. I hate that damn dog."
(2 martini's?? Sure...."

These are some of the top arrest stories in the group.....this was the highlight of my afternoon, nothing could have prepared me for that. When it came to me, I felt bad because I couldn't top any of the others, I was disappointed that I wasn't on a high speed chase or had not thrown up on an officer...I wanted something to share with the group to make it worth them listening. Good stuff and so happy everyone was so open...for my benefit of course.
So one class down, 16 hours of community service to go and 4 more months of my interlock....almost done!!!

Next post, hair follicle test and results.....cross fingers, wish me luck ;-)

Cheers :)

Knowledge is power.....or is it???

2011-08-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the date for my DIVERT class from 9-6pm. Yes, that is correct, it is 9 hours long. This means that not only did I have to pay for this thing that I don't want to attend but it is technically longer than my average work day. This should be great fun. This is what I know of this class so far, you MUST be there at the allotted 9am, you WILL NOT be allowed into the class if you are at all late...that means at 9:01 your locked out and you have to register and pay the $65.00 again to attend another class. Seems pretty shitty to me, but hey that's the government for ya. So I envision this class for 9 long hours....to be videos, lectures, handouts, on why you should not drink, use drugs etc. I cant wait to see the motley crew that comes to this thing, seriously this is a joke....Oh and we have to bring our lunch....what do they think we are going to do, leave for lunch and go have a drink or shoot up? The fact that I will have more useless information to fill the barely there space left in my brain on the "evils of drinking" makes me really want to find the nearest bridge and take a nice swan dive.....but I will try and be positive.
I am almost positive these assholes are going to make us take a test at the end with some random question that only the facilitator knows, just to see if anyone was actually paying attention. This means no actual studying for me....although I will probably take my REAL life with me in order to not waste the entire 9 hours of my life.
Oh yes of course no cell phones. Awesome.
What was that saying again, "It will all be over soon."......uh huh.